Let me preface my story with the fact that I'm not a huge fisherman but do enjoy going out on a nice day and casting some lines....if I catch anything it's just a huge bonus!

So this past October I was chatting with Bob LaLonde on another forum of shared interest and we got to talking fishing. He mentioned he hadn't been out in some time and I said it's been months for me but with the unseasonably warm day we had the day before here in IL I had been thinking about going across the street to our largest subdivision pond. After some prodding by Bob he convinced me to get off the couch and head over there.... BOY OH BOY I'm glad I listened to him.

I grab my ugly stick loaded with a silver/red 1/8oz rooster tail and head across the road not sure what to expect as it was WINDY (15-20MPH steady).

Cast a few times and the wind is just tossing my line wherever it wants so I just go with it. 3rd cast and I get my first hit. I know once I started reeling that it was a good sized fish but had no expectation of more than a 15-18" catch as that's what I usually pull from this pond. After a brief fight of 2-3 min I get it to the edge close enough for me to get the first impression and I knew it was a way bigger catch than I expected. Get the fish outta the water and of course it flips and unhooks itself but luckily was in the grass and with cat-like(ok I may be stretching the truth there ) reflexes I grab it just before it can make its way back to the safety of the pond. This thing was a monster for it being a small neighborhood pond that's only about 9 years old.

Without further ado here's the proof

Now I'm sure most have caught bigger fish in their lives but this was my personal best.

After scoring so big on my first catch I didn't expect my luck to hold much longer but there was still enough daylight and desire for me to stay out for a little longer. Over the next 15ish minutes I had caught 5 more bass ranging from a couple 8ish inchers to a few in the 12-15" range.

All in all I was out for right around 20 minutes and I couldn't have been happier! Best outing EVER thanks to listening to my gut and Bob's suggestion to just get out and fish!